George c



G C. D. MILLER.

FASTENER FOR CRATES, BOXES, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-25. I912.

1 1 9%.,309 Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

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GEORGE C. D. MILLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CARY MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FASTENER FOR ORATES, BOXES, 8w.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug". 8, 1916.

Application filed January 25, 1912. Serial No. 673,301.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. D. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings,and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Fastenerfor Crates, Boxes, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a fastener for use upon crates, boxes and othercontainers, and it is intended for use, more particularly, upon berrycrates, in order to securely fasten the cover thereof so as to precludethe accidental opening of the cover when the crates are handled roughlyduring transportation.

The fastener embodies a hasp member provided with locking means adaptedfor V engagement with a keeper, said hasp member being provided with aspring which operates in a manner to retain the locking means in contactwith the keeper, whereby the hasp member is precluded from becomingdisengaged accidentally from said keeper.

An advantage secured by the new fastener is the automatic operation ofthe spring in pressing the hasp member into interlocking engagement withthe keeper at the time of closing the top of the crate, thus making itunnecessary, after the hasp shall have been inserted into the keeper, tothereafter adjust a part or member for securing the hasp in the lockedposition.

The new fastener is characterized by such simplicity in construction asrenders the manufacture of the article both ecnomical and expeditious,it being possible to stamp or press the keeper and the hasp'in separatepieces of sheet or strap metal.

Other features of the invention and the advantages thereof will appearfrom the annexed description taken in connection with the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have illustrated different practicalembodiments of the invention, but the constructions shown therein are tobe understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits ofthe invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a part of a box or crate in aclosed position, and with my selflocking fastener in a position tosecure the cover in said closed position. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionsimilar to Fig. 1, illustrating the operation of the selflockingfastener when the cover is closed.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the parts in the position shown inFig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation illustrating another embodiment of theinvention wherein a hinged hasp is adapted for locking engagement with akeeper. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the device shown in Fig. 4.

A designates a hasp and B a keeper into which said hasp is insertible soas to have locking engagement therewith. The hasp shown in Figs. 1, 2and 3 consists of a piece of stout sheet metal which is bent at a rightangle intermediate its ends so as to produce a shank a. Said hasp isprovided at one end with lugs 0 and with an extension 0 p0- sitionedintermediate the lugs, said extension serving the purpose of a fingerpiece when it is desired to release the hasp from the keeper. The lugsextend outwardly from the front of the hasp, and they are adapted forlocking engagement with the lower edge of keeper B, as clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 3.

Keeper B is composed of a single piece of sheet metal which is bent ontwo lines so as to produce the front wall 6 and the ears Z), said frontwall of the keeper being inclined to the plane of the ears, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

. An important feature of the invention consists of a spring D whichacts on the hasp to press it in a direction for retaining lugs c inlooking engagement with the lower edge of keeper B, see Figs. 1 and 3.As shown, hasp A is cut or slitted on parallel lines, and the two slitsare joined by a cross slit thereby producing a tongue integral with thehasp. This tongue is bowed or deflected rearwardly of the hasp so as topro duce a spring, shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

The complete fastener is applied to a box or crate substantially asshown in the drawings. The shank a of hasp A is fitted to the top X of acrate, box, or other structure, Z, said shank of the hasp being securedfirmly in place by any suitable means, such as nails, 00. Keeper B isapplied to the front of the box or crate Z so that the lugs b of saidkeeper will rest firmly against the crate, etc, said keeper beingsecured firmly in place by nails or other fasteners The hasp A dependsfrom the cover X so that it will enter the keeper when said. cover isclosed, and the keeper is so positioned on the front of the crate or boxthat the hasp will pass through the keeper in a manner for the lugs c toengage with the bottom edge of the keeper. lVhe'n the cover is closed asshown in Fig. 2, hasp A slides into the keeper and spring D bears orpresses against the front of the box or crate, the result of which isthat the spring acts to press or force the hasp outwardly with respectto the crate and when the cover is fully closed the lugs c of the haspwill engage with the bottom edge of the keeper, the spring D pressingthe hasp into position for retaining said lugs 0 into locking engagementwith said keeper. The inclination of the front wall 6 of the keeper isan advantage for the reason that the keeper is so positioned that thehasp will easily enter the keeper and slide through it until the springpresses on the keeper so as to position the lugs 0 thereof in engagementwith said keeper.

When the hasp is made in a single piece with the shank a, there issufficient. spring or elasticity in the metal composing the hasp toallow it to be pressed backwardly toward the crate by engagement withthe keeper, and to be pressed forwardly by the action of the springwhich bears against the front of the crate.

It is not intended to limit the invention to a hasp made in one piecewith a shank, for the reason that said hasp may be hinged substantiallyas shown in Figs. 4: and 5. In this construction the hasp A is providedwith a spring or spring tongue D and with the lugs 0 and finger piece 0at the lower end thereof as heretofore described. Keeper B is providedwith the end lugs and the inclined front wall as heretofore described,

and said keeper is adapted to be fastened in position upon the front ofthe box or crate in the manner set forth. I The upper part of hasp A isattachedto a loop E, and this loop is connected loosely with a shank a,the latter being fastened to the top or cover by any suitable means. Thehinged hasp A is adapted to slide into the keeper when the cover isclosed so that the lugs of said hasp will engage with the lower edge ofthe keeper, and the pivoted or hinged hasp is pressed by the spring, orspring tongue, D, the latter engaging with the front of the crate in amannerto retain the hasp in position for the lugs 0 remain in lockingengagement witht-he keeper. 7

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the operation ofclosing the cover and adjusting the hasp within the keeper is performedmore or less automatically, for the reason that the spring acts upon thehasp topress it intolocking engagement with the keeper, and to retainsaid hasp in such locking engagement. The partsare disposed' compactlywith relation Copies of this patent may be obtained for to the keeper sothat the crate may be handled or thrown around without liability ofdisengaging the hasp from the keeper, whereby the cover of the cratewill not fly open nor its contents become spilled when the crate or boxis handled more or less roughly.

The parts composing my invention are simple in construction, reliableand eflicient in service, easily applied to a crate, and, moreover, areeconomical to manufacture, for the reason that the hasp and the keepermay be struck from a single piece of sheet metal, particularly in theconstruction of Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a box or crate fastener, thecombination of a keeper comprising a substantially U-shaped plate memberhaving spacing ears to secure the keeper to a crate or box, and a haspadapted to be fastened at one end and to have its free end pass throughthe keeper, said free end being provided with an outwardly directedretaining lug, said hasp having a portion thereof slitted and bentintermediate its ends to provide an inwardly directed resilient tonguepositioned for sliding contact with the crate or box adjacent the keeperfor the purpose of directing the hasp outwardly and to retain its luginto locking engagement with the lower edge .of the keeper.

2. In a box or crate fastener, the combination of a keeper formed from asheet of metal to provide an inclined wall and a plurality of retainingears adapted to contact with a box or crate to space said inclined wallof the keeper away from the supporting surface, and a hasp formed froma. single strip of metal and adapted to have a free end thereof passthrough said keeper, said hasp being provided with an inwardly directedresilient tongue out and bent from a central longitudinal portion of thehasp strip, which tongue is adapted to ride against the crate or box andto direct the hasp outwardly, said hasp being provided also with a lugnear its free end adapted to engage and to ride against the inclinedwall of the keeper for guiding the lug to its looking position withrespect to the lower edge of the keeper and against the action of theresilient tongue.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE G. D. MILLER.

Witnesses H. I. BERNHARD,

. F. MOTI-IERSHEAD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

